Secretary

SAPPHIRE BLACKWOODSecretary

Sapphire Blackwood has lived in San Diego for 12 years. She graduated from San Diego State University in 2009 with a B.A. in communications with an emphasis in advertising. In 2015, she graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. Sapphire has organized for several causes including anti-human trafficking, LGBTQ and cannabis.

During her first year of law school, she volunteered for the statewide Proposition 35 campaign, Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act (CASE Act). The ballot initiative passed with an 81% Yes vote, making it the most popular ballot initiative in California history. Because of her efforts with Prop 35, she was invited to moderate an educational panel on sex-trafficking held at the University of San Diego that featured actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

In 2013, Sapphire joined the Human Rights Campaign steering committee. She currently holds the local political chair position. That same year, she began her involvement with the LGBT Center. She organized a panel to educate the LGBTQ community on sex-trafficking issues, issues that especially plague transgender women. She continues to volunteer at the Center during her free time. During the 2014 mid-term elections, Sapphire organized the LGBTQ community for Scott Peters for Congress Reelection Campaign – with the help of groups like Democrats for Equality. Sapphire has been a member of this club since 2014.

​Upon completing law school, Sapphire has worked as a consultant in the cannabis industry focusing on business compliance and California licensing. She has continued her activism by organizing cannabis Pride parties in 2016 both in San Francisco and San Diego and helped implement a local campaign for the landmark ballot initiative, Proposition 64 (Adult Use of Marijuana Act), that legalized marijuana in the state of California. The SoCal Cannabis Conference, held at the San Diego Convention Center, donated space to Sapphire for an unprecedented LGBTQ activist section. With the help of Hillcrest Social, Purple Dragon Delivery and fabulous drag queens, Sapphire was able to bring some LGBTQ culture to the cannabis industry – a gap she’s noticed since entering the field.

Lately, Sapphire likes to binge watch television any time she has a chance to kick her feet up. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch her cutting a rug on your local dance floor.